Q & A

Peter Ustinov

April 03, 1988|By Cheryl Lavin.

To write ``Ustinov in Russia`` (Summit), international raconteur and actor Peter Ustinov made three trips to the Soviet Union, the birthplace of two of his grandparents, spending some four months there and covering more than 100,000 miles, from Moscow to Siberia to Georgia to Lithuania.

Q-You write that the surprises on this trip were ``endless.`` What were some of them?

A-One was how little trouble we had. One of the few times we did have trouble was with the airline Aeroflot. They wanted to confiscate our camera lenses because they thought we were going to take pictures from the air. I refused and said, ``Just get me the minister of culture on the phone, and he`ll clear it up.`` They gave in.

Q-What was another surprise?

A-How good the food is. I went to a banquet in Georgia that was the most sumptuous I have ever been to. There`s a Soviet saying that there`s nothing in the shops but everything on the table. And that`s true, not just for people in high positions but for everyone. I saw five markets in Georgia that were absolutely bulging with all sorts of fruits and flowers.

Q-How was the food in the restaurants?

A-That`s a different story. There seems to be some boss in Moscow who dictates all the menus across the country regardless of what`s fresh or ripe. We went to a restaurant and asked what they had. The waiter said, ``Fish and meat.`` When I asked what kind of meat, he looked at me in amazement, shrugged his shoulders and said, ``Meat.`` Eventually, when he saw we were serious, he went into the kitchen, came back and said, ``Nice piece beef or pig.`` We ordered beer, to go with the ``nice piece beef,`` and he said they were out of beer. But right outside the restaurant, there was a guy selling it. We gave the waiter money to buy it for us. Frequently, you can`t buy eggs, but if you take any train, on the first platform you`ll see an old lady with 800 eggs trying desperately to sell them. A couple of supermarkets have opened in Leningrad where people bring produce to sell, so suddenly things are becoming available. They`re slowly discovering a form of capitalism.

Q-What is the strongest image you took away from the trip?

A-Siberia in the summer. Usually when we think of Siberia, we think of gulags and snow and wolves. But in the summer, along broad rivers, there are sandy beaches with rather attractive ladies in bikinis and men playing sophisticated water sports. It`s hard to believe where you are.

Q-Did you ever think you were getting a very sanitized view of the Soviet Union?